Research Student - Skills Development

Skills Development

Research Training

The only taught module that all research students in the School are required to attend is Research Skills (Autumn term each year). Nonetheless, at the end of a successful research degree you will have acquired many definite skills and it is good to be aware of what they are and how you can expect to acquire them.

The University summary of skills is based on Vitae's Researcher Development Framework. Some of the basic skills are alreaady covered within the School by the Research Skills module and the Thesis Group system.

  • The Research Skills module covers basic techniques such as literature searches, preparing research documents and giving talks.
  • The system of Thesis Group meetings covers a variety of skills. For your report you must summarize your work in writing, and at the meeting you do the same with by talking about it and answering questions. (This is good practice for your final examination!) The meeting also discusses your general management of your research, choice of topics, design of experiments, etc. You can see the questions being asked in the RSMG report forms.

However, other skills, for instance those that are more dependent on your research topic, are not covered directly by the School. Again you will develop these skills both through particular training courses and through more general activities where you can practice the skills. These include elective courses, ones you have to plan yourself (in discussion with your supervisor), and for which there is funding available.

  • Seminars: By this we mean research meetings in the School, including actual seminars but also including meetings in your own research grouping. These are the most immediate way in which you become more familiar with the broad research field you are working in. The word "seminar" literally means "planting a seed", and you will still benefit from them even if you don't understand every word. Plan to attend the weekly School Seminars, as well as others in your particular field. Your research group may also hold informal lecture series as tutorials in particular topics. Your supervisor will tell you what is especially relevant to your work.
  • Courses: There are many courses available to train specific skills. The Graduate School provides information about a variety of courses, both its own and other. In addition there may be "Summer Schools" (or similar) to teach research topics. For some of these you will need funding to cover fees, accommodation, travel etc., but your supervisor will be able to advise you on possible funding sources to apply to.
  • Conferences: These are where you can make contact with the international research community in your particular area, and you should expect to reach the stage of being able to present a paper at a conference. Again, your supervisor will be able to advise on where to apply to for funding.

You should also consult the Graduate School website on Training and Skills Development.

Development Needs Analysis (DNA)

Planning out the more individual parts of your training is sometimes called "Development Needs Analysis", or DNA. The phrase is meant to show you should be thinking not just about what would be nice to go to, but also what you will get out of it and how that fits with what you need to learn. You should start thinking about this as soon as you arrive.

You are expected to include your plans once a year with your progress reports, and be prepared to discuss them at Thesis Group meetings. The Graduate School provides a form "GRS1A" ( .docx, .pdf) to help frame your planning. It invites you to outline your goals in four main areas. You will be expected to include a completed GRS1A with your RSMG1, RSMG4 and RSMG6 forms. (Note - the form has been revised in 2012, and the old GRS1B form has been discontinued.)

In your first year, discuss training with your supervisor early on and return the GRS1A form with your RSMG1 form. Your supervisor will tell you about the "Seminar" activities in your research grouping, and you can discuss the broad pattern of "Course" and "Conference" activities, though often without making specific plans at this stage.

Remember that if your Thesis Group writes its training recommendations (including conference attendance) on your RSMG forms, it may make it easier to obtain travel funding from the School.

Using the forms

The GRS1A skills development form is for thinking about how you will acquire the various skills expected of a research graduate, and trying to plan out courses and other activities for your first year. Your supervisor will be able to tell you about activities (research group meetings, seminars, summer schools etc.) relevant to your particular research area, and you can also consider the Graduate School courses.

Take the GRS1A form seriously - it is meant to help you. In your previous taught degrees you learnt mostly by taking a programme of taught courses that were laid on for you. In a research degree you need to plan the learning activities out for yourself, paying attention to what you already know and what you still have to learn. If the form doesn't help you make these plans, then it is not working.

Courses

Many useful generic courses are mounted by the Graduate School.

Here are some subject specific courses.

  • The Midland Graduate School in the Foundations of Computer Science is a 5-day residential course, held each year during the Easter vacation, that is regarded as essential for research students in theoretical computer science. It covers basic applications of maths and logic, including category theory and semantics. It also holds annual Christmas lectures.
  • The MSc Projects Orientation Programme, run for the School's MSc students, includes sessions that can also be useful for PhD students. Of particular relevance is "Elementary Statistics for Computer Scientists", strongly recommended for all research students whose work may involve some statistics.